The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the deregistration of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and four other political parties for failing to meet constitutional requirements for continued recognition.
The judgment was delivered on Monday by Justice Peter Lifu, who directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to delist the affected parties from the country’s political register.
The ruling applies to the following parties:
* African Democratic Congress (ADC)
* Accord Party
* Action Alliance (AA)
* Action Peoples Party (APP)
* Zenith Labour Party (ZLP)
Justice Lifu held that the affected parties failed to meet the **constitutional threshold of securing at least 25 per cent of votes** in the last general elections, a requirement for continued political recognition.
He also dismissed preliminary objections filed by the defendants, ruling that they lacked sufficient legal basis to challenge the suit.
The court further directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to:
* Deregister the affected parties
* Exclude them from future elections
* Bar their participation in the 2027 general elections
The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2637/2026, was filed by the Incorporated Trustees of the National Forum of Former Legislators.
The group argued that the parties failed to demonstrate adequate national spread and electoral performance as required by law, while INEC and the Attorney-General of the Federation were listed as defendants.
The ruling, if implemented, could significantly reshape Nigeria’s political landscape ahead of the 2027 elections, as it reduces the number of officially recognised parties and strengthens compliance expectations for electoral performance.
